Octavia Spencer Says Jessica Chastain Helped Get Her 5 Times Her Salary For Their Upcoming Movie

Octavia Spencer Says Jessica Chastain Helped Get Her 5 Times Her Salary For Their Upcoming Movie

Several Black A-list actresses including Oscar award-winners Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer have been vocal in the past about not being paid what they believe they are worth.  There has been much talk surrounding the disparity between men and women’s pay as well as Blacks as opposed to their white counterparts.

But now Octavia Spencer has revealed a new day has come, thanks to her friend Jessica Chastain, whom she worked with on The Help, earning both women Gold Globe for their performances.

According to Spencer, over a year ago, Chastain approached her for an idea for a holiday comedy for them to star headline.  She tells Sundance’s  “Women Breaking Barriers” panel that she opened up in conversation with Chastain about pay.

She said,

“We were dropping F-bombs and getting it all out there. And then I said, ‘But here’s the thing, women of color on that spectrum, we make far less than white women. So, if we’re gonna have that conversation about pay equity, we gotta bring the women of color to the table.’ And I told her my story, and we talked numbers, and she was quiet, and she said she had no idea that that’s what it was like for women of color.”

She added,

“I love that woman, because she’s walking the walk and she’s actually talking the talk. She said, ‘Octavia, we’re gonna get you paid on this film. You and I are gonna be tied together. We’re gonna be favored nations, and we’re gonna make the same thing.’ Fast forward to last week, we’re making five times what we asked for.”

Octavia Spencer previously stated,

“Oh, I haven’t gotten paid what I feel I deserve. Not yet.  But I always get a raise. Every single job, I get a raise. I don’t think any woman has really gotten what she deserves. But when I ask for something and they don’t meet it, I’m always willing to walk away.”

It looks like she’s finally getting paid her worth.  Leave your comments below.